Customer Reviews

JAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Get excited JAG fans, Season 1 has been confirmed by Paramount Home Entertainment as due for release on July 25th.

Season 1 ran on NBC and had the usual slightly rocky beginnings. It was cancelled by NBC and CBS picked it up and ran for another 9 seasons. The original partner to Harm was Lt. Kate Pike, but there was never a real romantic tension and Kate was phased out rather quickly. Harm was later joined by Lt j.g Meg Austin (Tracey Needham), whose blond good looks and soft drawl matched her well as Harm's main partner for Seasons 1. Also Commander Alison Krenick(Andrea Thompson) was added to the JAG staff. Tough as nails but silkily seductive, Krenick added a third possibility to the will they or won't they relationship between Harm and Meg. Several future characters appear in Season 1 including Bud Roberts, Jr and Capt Boone, the CAG, and Annie Pendry. Ollie North has a guest cameo.

The box set will run the two part pilot and all regular season episodes. Extras include at least one commentary by Bellisario and several interviews. Box art looks great!!! There is some debate over whether Skeleton Crew, with the infamous first appearance of Catherine Bell as Harm's old girlfriend in a cameo, would be included in the set since it never aired officially in Season 1 due to NBC's cancellation.(though it did air overseas and on USA) It was this episode that was incorporated as a flashback when Catherine Bell first appeared in Season 2 as Mac MacKenzie. No word on this episode yet, but I will update when I hear more.

Season 1 sets up the greatness of Season 2, which formally pairs Mac and Harm under Admiral Chegwidden, brings in Bud and Harriet, and everyone's favorite CIA agent Clayton Webb, and becomes the JAG we all love so much. JAG is on the catapult for a July 25th launch. Time to get excited!!!!

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

I hesitated adding my review to the vast majority of great reviews. I have been so frustrated for many years that JAG has not previously been released on DVD! In a culture where television programs that should never have been aired to begin with are released after only one season while they are still in production, it is beyond comprehesion why the first season of a ten year show the quality of JAG won't be released until well more than a year after the series ending!

Upon email notice from Amazon that JAG will be released July 23, I did two things. I first contacted my wife to let her know that great news (she is as much a fan of the show as I), and then preordered it! I cannot wait until it arrives.

Why do those who decide what is released on DVD think JAG ran for ten seasons? It is a high quality show based around lead characters that have high integrity, professionalism, love of country and pride in what they do! The great blend of intelligent story lines, action, drama and rich characterization make it compelling. The character's backstories are well developed and continue through successive seasons.

Unlike one reviewer, I found season one to be a great season even though the show was trying to find its formula. It found its niche and I personally enjoyed the character of Meg Austin. She was a good, solid lawyer who knew her job and kept her love for Harm from interfering with her work; but the tension was just under the surface. I would have enjoyed periodic return spots of Meg as they did with other characters on occasion.

The wonderful development of the relationship between Harm and Mac is that they did actually form first a strong professional respect for one another, which blossomed into a real solid friendship. Since the very best marriages are founded upon real friendship first (above sexual attraction, common interests, etc.), while the writers and producers wouldn't allow the two leads to commit to marry until the final episode of the series, the fans are left with the assurance that Harm and Mac will really make it. (Hope this wasn't a "spoiler" for anyone who wasn't aware of the final episode!)

I knew instantly that season ten would be the final season as soon as I learned that Belisario had not offered David James Elliot a contract renewal (his contract ended with season ten). It was rumored David James Elliot had a new show pilot being developed with another network for the following season - I'm sorry that evidently didn't happen, unless I just missed it. CBS and Belisario's attempt to put in a younger male lead character during that final season to try and attract a younger audience was laughable. The character introduced was a total jerk and could never have been much of an attraction. Had they tried to continue JAG without Harmon Rabb, it surely would have been canceled midseason if CBS hadn't ended it when they did. JAG would NEVER have worked without Harm! It is the characters as well as the stories that fans loved!

I would strongly encourage every JAG fan to immediately buy this first season even if you feel, as some evidently do, the series "really started" in season two. Since Paramount was so reluctant to release a quality show like JAG to begin with, if sales are not solid and strong they may not release future seasons. I hope the subsequent seasons' releases will be a matter of mere months apart, rather than a year between releases. Our budget for such purchases is limited, but I intend on purchasing every season as it is released.

YES, FINALLY, Paramount has graciously given us JAG, SEASON 1, on DVD. This series was one of the longest running series on CBS in its history (not many are able to make it past 10 years). The DVD has ranked as the 2nd most requested DVD on another popular DVD site for several months & deservedly so. The heart & soul of JAG is the character of Harmon Rabb, fighter pilot & later JAG senior attorney. Not enough words exist to describe why the character of Harm has become so beloved among JAG fans! If you love drama & action which has heart, which speaks to truth, ethics, morality, patriotism, basic commonly shared values, honor, justice, and "doing what's right"...all against the backdrop of the US Military Judge Advocate General's office....and does so with great humor, compassion, romance, angst, & adventure in stories often "ripped from the headlines," then you will love JAG !! Fans of the show are eager to finally have this first season, which partners Harm with blonde Texas attorney Lt. Meg Austin. Later, beginning in season 2, when the show (previously cancelled by NBC at the end of Season One) is picked up by CBS, Catherine Bell joins the cast permanently as Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie. Harm's & Mac's partnership continues to develop through the years as one of the pivotal draws of the series, always played out against the conflicts of career dilemmas & clashes in & out of the courtroom. But ultimately this is and always will be Harm's story. Although the stories of JAG always revolve around enforcement of the UCMJ for Naval and Marine personnel, it is the personal stories of the characters of JAG which ultimately hook viewers as they learn more about them & care more deeply with each episode.

Season One introduces us to many of the JAG family, starring David James Elliott, incomparable as Lt. Cmdr. Harmon Rabb, former ace F-14 ("Tomcat") pilot, now a rising young attorney in the JAG Corps. (You'll have to buy the DVD to find out why he has a change in his designator!) Elliott's portrayal is sensitive & compelling. He is mezmerizing, commanding attention in every scene in which he appears! His partnership with Meg Austin is a professional one, as they serve together to implement & interpret provisions of the UCMJ. Their adventures both in & out of the courtroom are action-packed, fun, & energizing. This initial Season One prepares viewers for JAG's second season, when it is continued by CBS. The stunning Catherine Bell as Major Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie then joins the cast to partner with Harm. Their solid friendship & growing personal relationship provide the seed for continuing dramatic & romantic angst for another nine years up to the series finale in April of 2005. JAG fans look forward to seeing "Skeleton Crew," the final episode in Season One, in which Catherine Bell actually plays Diane Schonke, Harm's girlfriend. Due to JAG's cancellation by NBC prior to the end of Season One, only parts of "Skeleton Crew" were actually ever seen; they are later interwoven with another episode further along in the series...so this will be the first time that this episode will be seen in its entirety.

July 25th can't get here soon enough! Then hopefully on to seasons 2-10, when we can enjoy another nine seasons of Harm & Mac together in JAG, along with other favorite ensemble cast members playing Bud, Harriet, Admiral Chegwidden, Gunny, Tiner & General Creswell. It is a fantastic, highly underrated series, with solid & consistent performances from Elliott & company which always, as the JAG folks liked to say, "flew under the radar." Reserve your copy TODAY!!!! You won't be sorry!!!

The TV version of "A Few Good Men", JAG succeeded in portraying and combining excellent court room drama with military procedure, protocal, culture, etc. That it finally made DVD means fans will no longer have to depend on early morning USA reruns to see the show.

Season 1 was not spectacular, but it will nonetheless satisfy viewers. The first season was mostly characterized by more action by Harmon Rabb (David James Elliot) outside of the courtroom than inside, including various stunts in the air and on the ground. Some episodes--probably due to logistical limitations as the show was being developed--clearly borrow from famous war/military films and sometimes show inconsistencies, such as a featured submarine alternating between the Red October and an Akula. Fortunately, such flaws do not take away from the entertainment value of the show. Additionally, Season 1 was cool because it featured (memory serving) cameos by good and well-known actors like Ron Livingston (Office Space) and Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers).

Season 1 is worth the buy. Hopefully, the following seasons will be released quickly. A big thank you goes out to those who were responsible for JAG's release on DVD.

I can't believe they are finally releasing this series. I have wanted this to come out since they started releasing TV series on DVD's. I read that Paramont wouldn't release it because they wouldn't get enough of the younger people interested. To heck with the younger set.. I am almost 40 years old and love it. What about us older people? I am so happy they did. It has made my day!!!

Yay Paramount finally got off their sixes-if you're a fan of the show you'll know what I mean-and released JAG. I almost wish it had been released later this month due to the 1 yr anniversary of FWFS. All you Catherine fans should get this one. She's on Skeleton Crew for two minutes or so. I can't wait for it to come out and see how soon the rest of the seasons will be released.

Bravo Zulu

I was so glad to see that the first season of JAG was finally released on DVD. It was the only season I watched with regularity and was surprised as I watched the series again that there were certain moments that brought about a sense of deja vu.

Lieutentant j.g. Meg Austin was and remains my favorite partner for Harm because she was, first and foremost a Navy officer and a JAG lawyer. Theirs was a very natural chemistry even before they got past the formalities of "Lieutentant" and "Sir" and it became clear early on that Meg was falling for her senior partner.

It took Harm a little longer to begin to see Meg differently and that transformation seemed to take place after "Hemlock", when she was left in a coma from an assassins bullet.

She also didn't hesitate to put herself in certain situations when she deemed it necessary in the course of an investigation. She posed as a Marine recruit in "Boot" to find out why another young recruit was found hanged. She went out into the field in "High Ground" when a Gunnery Sergeant escaped from the Brig and Harm went after him to bring him back in.

It wasn't until "The Prisoner" after Harm was imprisoned by the Chinese, that Meg finally voiced her feelings for her partner.

The monkey wrench in this whole thing was Commander Allison Krenick. From the first time she laid eyes on Lieutenant Rabb, the Commander made no bones about that fact that she wanted him.

She was the complete opposite of Meg, who chose to keep her feelings to herself. Krenick on the other hand, tried to devise any manner of situations that would get her alone with Harm, but was always thwarted.

When Meg would find herself alone with him, usually in some manner of undress it was the result of a situation they hadn't planned on.

I must admit that I never understood the whole Mac and Harm phenomenon and never thought that they had much chemistry together. That was one of the reasons that I didn't watch JAG very regularly beyond the first episode of the second season.

Without Meg Austin, JAG just wasn't as good.

I discovered JAG late (end of season 8). As a retired military officer and a Vietnam veteran, it was nice to see military personnel portrayed as positive contributors.

Thanks to the USA network and my DVR, I have seen all Season 1 episodes that aired in the US. I believe the working relationship between Harm and Meg was the closest thing to reality in the whole run. Harm was sharp and intuitive; Meg was methodical and got a handle on case aspects that escaped Harm's fleeting attention span. If you haven't seen these episodes, get these DVDs! If you have seen them, you probably have the DVDs on order.

A word about Tracey Needham: She is an under-appreciated artist with an extraordinary range. She is not a seductress, which is why I believe she was dumped in favor of Catherine Bell. Replacing authentic relationships with sexual tension allowed DPB et al to piggyback on Moonlighting and Remington Steele shtick ... which is why the last three seasons lost viewership.

JAG is the best TV show that I have ever watched. Finally on DVD for us fans to view forever. I started watching when I returned to the US after 2 years stationed in Germany serving in the Army. I was happy to see a show about the military and how veterns are portrayed. I know alot is Hollywood but most Americans have no idea about military life. I like Harm and Mac, of course, A.J. and the Gunny. I like the traveling the globe and the lives of the characters. Before Germany, I was into Highlander and still am but JAG is my fav. I love the intro music also. I wish that it could have went on another 5 years. Mac and Harm, a baby, too?

I am so glad that JAG is finally coming out on DVD. I don't know why it was not released earlier. I think some people were worried that younger people would not buy it, but I am only 18 and I think JAG is one of the best shows ever created. I also know several other people that are my age who feel the same way.